Jewellery Valuation

Whether you have invested in a piece of fine jewellery or have inherited a family heirloom, it is advisable to have suitable insurance in place. Holts Lapidary are Members of the National Association of Jewellers, we employ trained gemmologists and have over 70 years experience of appraising jewellery on site in Hatton Garden. We can also provide jewellery valuations for probate.

Our jewellery valuations are provided as written reports with full descriptions and images, which can also be emailed to you on request. Our prices and turnaround times for insurance valuations vary based on the item to be valued. Please call us on 020 7405 5286 for more details.

Gemstone Testing

In our on-site gem lab we have a wide range of standard gemmological testing equipment to help enable a positive identification of a wide range of gem materials; we are able to test both loose and mounted gems.

Upon completion of the test, we issue a certificate outlining the physical details of the gemstone (ie: cut, colour, weight and physical measurements) as well as the identification.

Our prices and turn around times vary depending on the stone to be tested. If you would like to be present whilst the stone testing is carried out, please call or email us to arrange an appointment in advance.

Hand Drawn Jewellery Rendering

Stringing (beads & pearls)

We have a dedicated in-house pearl and bead restringing expert. Pearls in particular are a lifelong investment and should be re-strung every 2 years, we can work with knotted or plain strands.

Maybe you have inherited a family heirloom and want to recreate it into a more contemporary jewellery piece…adding a different clasp, changing the length or incorporating complementary pearls/beads can breathe new life into older pieces.

Cutting

Our team of highly trained lapidaries are happy to fashion your gemstone into any shape according to your requirement as well as repairing or re-polishing a gemstone to its original condition. The master craftsmen in our team have worked on extremely expensive stones and have even cut gemstones for a blockbuster movie! We are happy to guide you through the possibilities.

Polishing

Polishing is the ‘art of making things shiny’, to put a natural luster to a gemstone. Our team of highly skilled craftsmen use polishing to make the surface of the gemstone feel smooth and bring out the colours of the gemstone. In different gemstones polishing enables the naked eye to see into the gemstones; it shows off any internal inclusions. However, on transparent gemstones it allows you to see the polishing surface on the back of the stone, and in turn reveals the other face at the front of the stone.

Faceting

The art of faceting; faceting is the term used for accurate cuts at specific angles on a gemstone which in turn reflects throughout the stones to bring a brilliance and light to the stone which alters as you move the stone around. Most stones can be faceted, but this is only suitable for stones of a certain hardness as the facets would wear very quickly - our craftsmen are happy to advise you as to the possibilities with your gemstone.

Faceting can be done in many different cuts. The most popular cuts are brilliant, emerald, princess and fancy cuts. Fancy cuts are numerous and can be very specific, we can create the following cuts: heart shapes, triliion, kite, portugueses, checkboard.

Drilling

Mostly our drilling service is used for beads, earrings, pendants or to create larger holes into bases for figures or clocks. Our highly skilled lapidaries can create different sized holes into materials or enlarge existing holes for stringing purposes. Stones can be half drilled for mounting on pegs for earrings or pendants. We love a challenge and can drill anything from beach pebbles with sentimental value to very expensive pearls. We have drilled pearls up to £100,000.

Restoration

Our lapidaries relish restoring an object back or as close to its original look. We restore everything that is precious or semi-precious gemstone related: clocks, statues, picture frames, fireplaces, jewellery boxes, carving.

A lot of the restoration involves matching up brand new materials to the original material. And also working on damaged stones: chips, damaged sections, broken off arms etc. We are happy to discuss your restoration project, advising you on what is possible and how long the restoration work will take.